


Wires

by Ruskydoll



Category: Mass Effect
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Coma, F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-08-24
Updated: 2016-08-25
Packaged: 2018-08-10 20:16:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 3,923
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7859686
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ruskydoll/pseuds/Ruskydoll
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Shepard was too late, Omega has claimed Archangel. </p>
<p>But when the Commander arrives to a run down hospital in the midst of a gang war, she doesn't find a grizzled merch captain, she finds her Turian.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Regret

Shepard’s expression was unreadable.

“Get him out of this hell hole” she spoke with an even tone, her voice betraying no emotion.

“Shepard, is this wise? He will only be a drain on our resources” Miranda lent back against the dingy wall with an air of indifference.

Shepard slowly turned to the Cerberus operative “Get him out. Immediately” her tone remained neutral but the raging fire in the Commander’s eyes made Miranda snap to attention.

“I am going to see Aria” Shepard did not wait for a response, she turned on her heels and left the bewildered Miranda and Jacob staring after her.

 

Shepard’s feet carried her through the maze of the Omega station without any conscious effort on her part, her mind was screaming, she was struggling to breath, but somewhere deep down she knew she could not betray her feelings to the outside world, in a station filled to the brim with mercs and criminals that would have been a fatal mistake.

How could this have happened? How did she allow this to happen? If only she was a little faster, if only she was a little smarter she could have pulled him out, she could have saved him. Shepard stopped, steadying herself and gulping air, the world was tilting around her. She couldn’t let this break her, not here, not now, there will be time for that later. She closed her eyes, hoping to regain some composure but all she could see she was him. Garrus. Laid out on a small dirty cot, too small for him, in the middle of disease and death, her Garrus, with wires and tubes feeding god knows what into his veins. Shepard swayed on the spot.

 

“Alright babe!” a dishevelled batarian called out to her. “Wanna come over here for some good times?”

Shepard gripped the butt of her gun until she could feel her fingers going numb.

“Don’t be a little prissy bitch!” the batarian yelled out.

Mistake. Shepard pulled the gun from the holster with lightning reflexes, aiming dead centre of the batarian's head.

“Do not fuck with me, I will not hesitate” she hissed back, and fired a control shot just above the batarians head.

All four of his eyes widened in horror as he scuttled away as fast his legs could carry him.

Shepard, swallowed, her breath laboured, eyes stinging. She wished Tali would have come with her on Freedom’s Progress, she needed something familiar to latch onto, she needed someone, anyone who actually gave a flying fuck about her or Garrus right now. Ordinarily she would ping Garrus a message and he would come to her. But now, now, a shudder run through her, now he was unreachable, lost in his own mind.

The Commander willed herself to focus, controlling her breathing. Once she felt the ground more level beneath her feet, her breath more even, she walked on.


	2. Emptiness

After the little display with the batarain the denizens of Omega gave her wide berth, which suited her just fine, close proximity to anyone would have sent her over the edge.

She walked in total oblivion, registering little until the jarring music of Afterlife snapped her back to reality. The dancers and drunk revellers were totally at odds to the all-consuming blissful silence of her mind. Shepard looked up at the dais where the queen of Omega lounged her days away, breathing deeply, she walked on.

 

“Shepard” Aria inclined her head once in mock deference.

“Who did it.” Shepard whispered. 

“You are on Omega, you are going to have to be more specific” Aria lazily reached for a glass filled with a glittering concoction.

“Who is responsible.” Shepard repeated quietly.

Aria sipped at her drink, her eyes focusing on the human woman before her. For all the casual displays, the asari’s eyes were burning, she did not take insubordination well. 

“Who exactly do you think you are Shepard?” Aria spoke evenly swirling the glass in her hand.

“The last fucking mistake you will ever make T’Loak. I will be your very own judge, jury and executioner, if you do not tell me which asshole hurt Archangel. And none of your little lackeys will be able to help, I will make sure of that” Shepard hissed, her temper rising to a fever pitch, her hands shaking, what little biotics she had in her flared up prickling her skin, she hasn’t lost control like this since Elysium.

Aria lent back on the couch, her eyes scrutinising Shepard, sizing her up.

“I could flay you with my mind before you even touch that trigger, don't underestimate me” the asari spoke slowly deliberately, watching for a reaction.

Shepard didn’t move a muscle, it took everything she had not to kill the whole load of them on the spot, all of them were responsible for this, responsible for what happened to him, they were all guilty, guilty of something or other, it didn't matter, no one would question her.

Aria closed her eyes and shook her head, a smile spreading on her lips “Sidonis is the turian you are looking for. At least he is the one who sold out your pet bird. He disappeared off the station a while back. If you want a more immediate release you could go after the Blue Sun, Eclipse and Blood Pack, your little turian managed to fuck off a lot of people.”

Shepard blinked all rage seeping away “Thank you”.

“You get that one free, because I am a good person. Next time I expect something in return” Aria purred.

“Sure” Shepard replied, she felt empty again, Aria barely registering now that she got what she came for. 

Shepard felt numb, her brain was sluggish, she felt exhausted she tripped on the stairs down, her reflexes kicking in at the last second with a steadying hand on the railings. Only one thing was clear in her mind _Sidonis_ . She had the name, and names were valuable commodities.

 

Shepard clicked on her Omni-Tool on autopilot “Miranda, status update” she called in.

Silence. Shepard stopped in her tracks.

“Miranda” she repeated more urgently.

The corresponding light switched on “You need to come aboard Commander. Now.” Miranda’s voice crackled through the comm.

A darkness descended, Shepard couldn’t make out where the sky was, where her fingers were, she couldn’t breathe, a steel hoop squeezed her in, pain radiating form her very core, the tightening sensation was relentless. She needed to move, but her feet refused to obey her, she was falling, spinning.

“Ey, are you okay?” a voice called out from the haze, a hand was placed somewhere on her, she could no longer tell where.

Shepard tried to scream to get off her, but no sound came out. The vice around her chest was squeezing harder with every second that passed.

“Commander, look at me” the same voice called out more sternly.

“I… I can’t” Shepard whimpered.

“Yes you can, come on, up you get” another hand joined the first propelling Shepard forward, this one cold against her skin, the sensation brought back some semblance of vision to her.

She could not see clearly, but there was a shape before her, a person, it spoke, so it had to be a person.

“I am sorry but I will have to do this” the voice was quiet but determined.

Cold liquid hit Shepard in the face, she exclaimed in indignity.

“Who the hell are you and what do you think you are doing?!’ she screamed water streaming from her eyelashes but she could finally see. Before her she saw a turian standing, his mandibles askew, the man was grimacing at her.

“Lt Casso. Aria sent me to follow you, make sure you got to your ship okay” He answered, relaxing slightly a while after Shepard didn’t put a bullet between his eyes at the first opportunity.

Shepard blinked at him stupidly “Aria? The bitch on the throne Aria?”

The turian chucked, “One and the same Ma’am. Now come on, your Omni tool has been bliking like mad for a while now, I think they need you back"

Casso extended his hand to her, she was on the floor, when did she managed to get on the floor? It was best not to explore that question, she needed to get back to the Normandy. She took the turians hand and he hauled her up onto her feet. 

“I’ll walk you” he spoke to her, in an overly friendly manner, which did not sit well with Shepard.

“I’ll be fine” the Commander snapped.

The turian laughed, his subharmonics reverberating the same way that Garrus’ did. No. Stop. Not now. Shepard swallowed.

“That’s not a request Commander, I am walking with you. Aria has demanded I make sure you get the hell of her station. And it better than skulking in the detritus, at least there is conversation here.” The turian smiled back at the Commander. 

 

 


	3. Perspectives

Casso attempted to make conversation, but none of it stuck. Shepard nodded and made noises but she was a million miles away. The turian gave up his valiant attempts to distract her and walked in silence shooting the Commander curious glances. The woman was a legend, she was a Spectre which in itself was impressive enough, but her heroics on the Citadel two years’ prior put her in a league of her own. The rumours crawled around Omega that the Battle of the Citadel was much more than a simple Geth incursion, something huge, ancient and threatening was at play, but the descriptions were vague and nebulous, shrouding the Commander in an air of mystery. What’s more, by all rights Shepard should have been dead, yet here she was. She was not exactly what he expected either, sure her image was plastered all over the galaxy with motivational calls to enlist to the Alliance, there she looked larger than life, a grizzled veteran, an elite soldier, but the real Shepard, well, the human was tiny for a start, she barely reached his chest, with delicate features and crimson hair falling softly to her shoulders in loose waves. Despite her diminutive size, Casso could feel a steel core running through her, she was not too dissimilar to Aria in that respect, but where Aria was all angles and sharp edges, Shepard was all curves and softness. That made her ten times more dangerous than Aria could ever be, with Aria you had plenty of notice before the killing blow, but Shepard would smile softly and talk quietly before she put a bullet between your eyes without forewarning.

“Do you know anything about Archangel?” Shepard spoke suddenly, startling the turian making him collide with her. The Commander’s eyes were oddly glassy, her tone even but he could detect a note of desperation.

“As much as anyone else. He run with his own band of vigilantes pissing off every merc boss available” Casso frowned, he was only vaguely aware of the reasons behind Shepard’s visit to Omega station, Archangel’s name was whispered around, he saw her people take the unconscious turian to their ship, but that was all he knew.

“What about Sidonis?” Shepard spoke again in a low voice; he could have sworn he heard a growl escape her as she hissed the name out.

“He was part of Archangel’s crowd, the only one I saw alive after their hideout got raided. He hightailed it off the station on the nearest shuttle” Casso shrugged “Sorry Commander, I have nothing much to give you here”

Shepard’s shoulders sagged and she sighed heavily.

“Who was he to you?” Casso ventured cautiously.

“Who?” Shepard looked up at the turian, exhaustion showing in every movement.

“Archangel” the turian answered.

Shepard flinched as if burnt by the name.

“He still is, not was” Shepard spat, her fingers visibly shaking. The woman took a deep breath and blew it out slowly. “Sorry, long day. He is a friend.”

“Huh” Casso replied. That seemed like bullshit to him, the Commander was rattled, rattled so hard that the doors blew clean off. She was a seasoned veteran, he reasoned, death and injury was day to day life for her, this was something else entirely.

His trail of thought was cut short as they reached the docking bay. Through the grimy windows of the port he could see a sleek ship aligned to Bay 76. It was of unusual design, it looked like nothing the Alliance has ever built, in fact the frigate resembled nothing that any of the council races have ever produced, not the angular ships of the Hierarchy, nor the oddly shaped Asari cruisers and it certainly didn’t have anything in common with the mismatched Quarian ships. The name Normandy was emblazoned on the side of the bullet like hull, it oozed tech and was screaming to be stolen. Casso raised an eyebrow plate, it was a miracle that it wasn’t raided and stripped for parts in the couple of hours it has been docked on Omega. Mesmerised by Shepard’s ship the turian did not notice that the woman herself was speaking again.

“What?” he blinked idiotically.

“I said, send my regards to Aria, tell her thanks” the corners of Shepard’s mouth rising gently upwards noticing where the turian’s gaze was focused.

“Yes Ma’am” Casso nodded with respect. He watched the woman walk away, he liked her, he liked her a lot, there was something in her he has never encountered before, some imperceptible power, and for once it was directed for good. Sure he served under Aria on Omega, but that was simply the die that the universe had cast for him, he was still young and his idealism fuelled fantasies of saving the world, making it a better place. The Commander was exactly the type of woman that had any hope of achieving just that. He found it difficult to see her as she was now, deflated, posture sagging, all fight drained out of her. He sighed and cursed inwardly, if Aria ever found out…

“Shepard!” Casso shouted after the Commander, who was keying in her passcodes. She turned and looked at him, her eyes rimmed red with fatigue. “The shuttle, the one that Sidonis left on, it was called Cassiopeia”

He could have sworn she smiled.


	4. Familiar

Shepard was tired. It felt like she has been awake for the past week, when in reality it has only been a couple of hours since they landed on Omega. The day weighed heavily on her. Miranda’s urgent request to return to the Normandy was sitting like a led weight in the pit of her stomach. Her first thought just moment before she lost herself was that things with Garrus have gotten even worst, but as she hurried towards the Normandy with Casso she read the messages flashing on her Omni-Tool, they mentioned nothing of Garrus and she attempted to reassure herself that the Normandy would have informed her if the situation had deteriorated. Her own reassurances felt empty, even if Garrus remained stable the danger had not passed, she needed to get him proper medical attention as soon as possible, Chakwas and Mordin could only do so much without necessary equipment. She felt the urge to scream, but her circumstanced did not allow, so she dug her fingers into the palm of her hand, the pain was comforting.

The hull doors hissed and permitted her on board the Normandy. As Shepard stepped over the threshold she was greeted by a full blown row. Miranda’s biotics shimmered as she verbally assaulted Dr Chakwas who replied in low dangerous tones.

“What the ever loving fuck is going on?” Shepard growled. She did not need this right now, all she wanted was to get to Garrus, she needed to see him, make sure he was still breathing. She choked at the thought.

Miranda spun round to face the Commander, rage seeping from every pore. “We have to go Ilium, but your _Doctor_ is stalling!” she spat the word out.

“Shepard, Huerta Memorial is the only place for Garrus right now, I still have connections I can pull some strings” Chakwas answered calmly. “Besides we can rile the Hierarchy to help”

Shepard hesitated turning to Lawson “Why Ilium?”

The Cerberus operative folded her arms and tapped a heel against the floor in agitation. “There is an Information Broker there, I can only assume you want to find the people responsible, you’ve been flouting all the rules as it is, may as well go the whole hog. Besides the asari medical tech is much more sophisticated than the government funded garbage that they have on the Citadel. I have a supplier, they furnished project Lazarus”.

“Flouting all the rules?!” Shepard raised her voice in disbelief. “How god damn dare you! May I remind you, that it was _You_ and Cerberus who sent me to Omega in the first place?! Did you really expect me to leave him there, leave him in that despicable ‘ _hospital_ ’, leave him to, leave him to…” Shepard choked back a sob, her body shaking violently, voice rising to hysterics.

“I am done with your bullshit! Take me to the Citadel. **NOW**. I am taking Garrus and leaving! Fuck you and your precious Cerberus, rot in hell!” Shepard’s screams drew curious gazed of the Cerberus crew, but she no longer cared.

“Shepard” Chakwas spoke gently, placing a hand on the Commander’s shoulder.

“What!” Shepard snapped, tears stinging her eyes, gritting her teeth to stop them overflowing.

“Miranda, give us a moment” all warmth left the doctors words as she addressed the woman.

The Cerberus operative huffed, but obediently albeit disapprovingly spun round and walked off towards the CIC.

“Shepard, look at me” Dr Chakwas turned the Commander to face her. Shepard’s face was breaking, tears made silent tracks on her cheeks, and still she held her true feelings at bay.

“He will be okay; he is stable right now. I won’t let anything happen to him, I swear to you I will do everything in my power” the doctor spoke softly, looking into Shepard’s eyes, she reached out and delicately brushed the tears away.

Shepard hiccupped but did not answer.

“But we need Cerberus, I hate to say it but we need them now more than ever. They have the resources. Resources which neither the Council nor the Alliance will offer us” Chakwas sighed.

“I understand” Shepard murmured voice thick with tears.

The Doctor straighten up “Now buck up kiddo, you don’t want them to see you cry” she smiled. “Take a moment and we’ll go see Garrus”

Shepard nodded breathing heavily.

“We need to go to the Citadel. I can put pressure on Anderson, see what I can dig up in Spectre resources…” she trailed of.  

Chakwas smiled “Jeff? I assume you’ve been listening to this?”

“I… what…? Me? Nooo” Joker's guilty voice came from the comms. 

“You were always a terrible liar, just get us there as fast you can” Shepard half sobbed, half laughed. 

“Ay ay Commander” Joker answered as the Drive Core whirled to life. 


	5. Following

Dr Chakwas led Shepard towards the med bay, glaring at anyone who so much as looked up from their work at the Commander. As they progressed through the ship, word spread and Cerberus officers scattered in different directions terrified of the doctor’s wrath.

Shepard felt calmer now, with Karen’s soothing presence and Joker’s guilty outburst she reminded herself she wasn’t truly alone. She even had a moment to reevaluate her conversation with Aria, something told her that Casso was not just sent to make sure that she left quietly. What were the odds that the only turian on Omega that knew the name of Sidonis’ ship ended up escorting her to the Normandy? It appeared in some twisted way Aria cared too, whether it was about Shepard, Archangel or her own interests remained a mystery.

“You ready?” the doctor said as they approached the Med Bay doors.

Shepard closed her eyes and took a deep breath “Yeah”

The Med Bay doors hissed open, and Shepard braced herself. She wasn’t sure what she was expecting, gruesome images swam before her. The reality however was that she saw nothing. Mordin Solus was prodding at some equipment in the corner and on the far side of the med bay by the AI core a curtain was drawn over a bed.

Shepard exhaled a breath she didn’t realise she was holding; it was of course a sight better than the dilapidated shack that passed for a hospital on Omega, Aria was clearly not too hot on social welfare.

She remembered the building with a shudder, the stench of disease was all encompassing, hacking coughs and screams of pain permeated every inch of the place. Bodies lay all around, she could no longer tell who was alive and who long passed. Mordin’s own clinic was incomparable it was practically a shining beacon of sophistication. The only rational explanation she could find as to why Garrus was not taken there in the first place was the plague. The Commander was almost certain that the plague would have been a better option compared to this, at least Mordin knew what he was doing.

The grubby looking Asari leading Shepard and her crew to Archangel was herself sickly, Shepard observed the situation in abject horror. She resolved to get onto Aria’s case, this was unacceptable, Omega or no. But all thoughts of altruism ware forgotten as soon as they reached his cot.

Shepard didn’t recognise Garrus at first, the dirty blankets carelessly thrown over him, the filthy bandages wrapped haphazardly over his face and the entirely fantastic idea that Garrus of all people would end up here, prevented her mind from processing the turian before her. Shepard’s eyes were drawn to the disgusting bandages and her eyes traced the ruined mandible with pity, then she noticed the clan markings. The Vakarian patterns were distinct even when smeared with crusted blood. She couldn’t make a sound, her heart was pounding, her mind could not understand what she was seeing. Shepard snatched at the soiled sheet and pulled it away, beneath it Garrus lay unmoving in nothing but his under armour stiff with days old blood. The cot was much too small for him, his limbs hung limp off the sides. Shepard stared, her brain numb with shock. She didn’t remember how long she stood like that before the rage kicked in, the blinding vicious anger corroding rationality demanding retribution. She wanted to rip apart anyone who came close to him, she turned on the bedraggled asari huddling in the corner, blood pounded in her ears, she wanted to destroy her too. But somewhere deep down a small voice spoke, pleading with the wrath, the small voice that the Commander had fought for so hard ever since Mindoir. She took a breath, issued orders and fled.

The memory sent chills down Shepard’s spine, making her shiver in the warm Med Bay.

“Ah Shepard” Mordin looked up from his apparatus noticing the newcomers “Glad you are here. Your mate is doing well. He needs treatment but he should make it. Provided we act fast”

“My what?!” Shepard balked.

“Your mate, elevated pulse, dilated pupils, breast thrust forward, not sure how effective on Turians, especially unconscious ones.” Mordin rattled off in staccato.

Shepard stared.

“No? My mistake, need to revise my human anatomy knowledge. Still, glad you’re here, come” unfazed the salarian strode towards the veiled bed.

It took the Commander a few seconds to regain her grip on reality.


End file.
